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All the pig blood samples sent by Negros Occidental have tested negative for African Swine Fever (ASF) so far but more tests will be conducted, Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director Jose Albert Barrogo said Wednesday, May 17.The DA is arranging with Bacolod City and other local government units for the conduct of joint surveillance operations to gather more blood samples from pigs for testing, he said.“Right now we are aiming to focus on Bacolod, and have sent a request to Mayor Albee (Benitez) for joint surveillance operations,” he said.Under the joint surveillance, a DA team will be sent to work with Bacolod’s accredited barangay bio security officers in the gathering of blood samples, Barrogo said.Barrogo said he is also sending letters to the mayors of B...

Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. *The National Bureau of Investigation filed multiple raps versus fugitive Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. before the Department of Justice on Wednesday, May 17, for the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others.The complaints were for multiple murders, multiple frustrated murders, and multiple attempted murders in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4.NBI Director Medardo de Lemos personally attended the filing, which also saw voluminous boxes of evidence submitted to back the charges.Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla clarified that they initially received information that Teves purchased a ticket for a Philippine bound flight Wednesday.Teves’ camp has denied that he had planned to return home. It was fake news, Teves said.Re...

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez*Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez laughed off rumors that he is planning to run for governor of Negros Occidental in 2025.As Negros Association of Chief Executives president he is just doing his job visiting the various towns and cities of the province, Benitez said on Wednesday, May 17.“I’ll be clear, I’m not offending anyone, I’m not hurting anyone, I’m just doing my job,” he said.He does not know where the rumors are coming from, Benitez said.Maybe they see him as a potential candidate because of what he is doing in Victorias City, he said, adding “if that’s the case then I truly appreciate it”.But he hopes people do not see his doing his job as a negative, Benitez said.*

Two persons were found dead in Calatrava and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, the police reported Wednesday, May 17.A dead man was found in Brgy. Minapasok, Calatrava town, Tuesday morning, two days after he went missing.The body of Jose Arioso, 59, of Brgy. Minapasok was found in an open field about five kilometers away from his residence.PCapt. Jess Alba, Calatrava deputy police chief, said that according to residents before the victim went missing he went to a fiesta on Sunday.Barangay officials found his body Tuesday morning and immediately contacted the police and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.The police conducted an ocular investigation and found that no foul play led to the death of the victim.Meanwhile, in Cauayan town, a 28-year-old mar...

Kalipay Executive Director Mhel Sillador, ACES-REAP Program head Fr. Simon Peter Ramos, Kalipay founder and president Anna Balcells and vice president Ginnette Yanson-Dumancas (l-r, seated), with Cheryl P. Tuazon, Larena Peruelo, Josephine Aquino and Joseph Entuna (l-r, standing) at the MOA signing.*Kalipay Negrense Foundation Inc. renewed its educational partnership with UST Angelicum College as the sole accredited Re-entry Education Agenda for the Poor (REAP) Program Learning Site in Western Visayas of the Dominican institution through a memorandum of agreement signing.Fr. Simon Peter Ramos, the head of ACES-REAP Program of UST Angelicum College, represented the Thomasian Angelican college at the MOA signing with Kalipay’s founder and president Anna Balcells, vice president Ginne...

Three cases of the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant of COVID-19, commonly known as “Arcturus”, have been detected in Western Visayas, the Department of Health announced.The three cases were in Bacolod City, Iloilo province and Guimaras, Dr. Jane Juanico-Esteva, DOH Medical Officer IV, said Wednesday, May 17.All those hit by the variant were vaccinated and tagged as recovered, she said.All three cases were locally transmitted, the DOH said.The Arcturus subvariant is currently tagged by the World Health Organization as a variant of interest.Current evidence for XBB.1.16 does not suggest any differences in disease severity and clinical manifestations compared to the original Omicron variant, the DOH said.Juanico-Esteva said while the cases of COVID-19 have increased in West...

Negrenses are urged to apply for various technical-vocational courses at the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center as the Negros Occidental provincial government has allocated P19 million worth of scholarships this year, NOLITC Administrator Cristina Orbecido said Wednesday, May 17.Orbecido told DIGICAST NEGROS that tech-voc scholarships are still available at NOLITC as they are targeting 770 Negrenses to avail of these programs.This budget is a big leap from the previous P400,000 allocation to NOLITC during the pandemic, she said.During the onslaught of COVID-19, NOLITC only offered online sessions and seminars as tech-voc students lacked needed equipment, Orbecido said.She said that the P19 million budget for 2023 came from the Gender and Developmen...

The creation of a Police and Private Security Council is in the works after representatives from the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) met Wednesday, May 17, to strengthen security and peace and order in the city.The meeting, led by MBCCI chief executive officer Frank Carbon and Bacolod Acting Police Director, Col. Noel Aliño, at Park Inn Hotel in Bacolod City tackled security matters in terms of doing business in the city.Carbon told DIGICAST NEGROS that this is the first time that the business sector met with the new police chief and they hope to create more projects to foster their alliance.Among the discussions was the creation of the Police and Private Security Council to address the problem of the big gap in the ratio...

City Councilor Audie Malaga, Cathlyn Pavia, Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, and JR Marfori (l-r) signing the MOA for the Digital Service Payment Acceptance.*Victorias City has partnered with GCash, a mobile payment service, in launching the Digital Service Payment Acceptance.Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez signed the memorandum of agreement for the partnership together with GCash AVP Head of Public Sector and Partnerships Cathlyn Pavia and LGU Leader for Visayas and Mindanao JR Marfori, SP Chair Committee on Digitalization, Innovation, and Smart Governance Councilor Audie Malaga, and City Treasurer Maria Rosielyn Gustilo on Wednesday, May 17.Victoriahanons can now pay their taxes and other government payments through GCash starting Wednesday, Benitez said.“[This partners...

Five infrastructure projects are set to rise in Victorias City before the end of the year as Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez led a series of groundbreaking ceremonies on Tuesday, May 16.These will be in addition to seven infrastructure projects already inaugurated in Victorias City in April.The five new projects are the P55 million two-story Evacuation Center in Barangay XIII, Carabao Communal Pens for San Antonio Farmers, Victorias City Dog Shelter, Multi-Purpose Building in Agricomplex, and a Super Health Center.The evacuation center will have multiple facilities such as a command center, clinic, basketball court, and multi-purpose office, a press release from Victorias City on Wednesday said.The Sidlak Victorias Media Production Center will also be located in the building....